Aerosol dispenser

ABSTRACT

A DISPENSER FOR AEROSOL CONTAINERS COMPRISING A CONTAINER END WALL MEMBER HAVING A BORE THERETHROUGH AND A PAIR OF UPSTANDING ANNULAR RADIALLY SPACED RIMS AT THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE END WALL MEMBER CONCENTRIC WITH THE BORE. AN AUXILIARY RESILIENT SEALING MEBER IS DISPOSED IN THE ANNULAR GROOVE BETWEEN THE RIMS. A SHANK EXTENDS THROUGH THE BORE AND IS PROVIDED WITH AN OPERATING MEMBER AT ITS OUTER END HAVING AN ANNULAR PORTION IN SEALING CONTACT WITH THE SEALING MEMBER. THE INNER END OF THE SHANK IS PROVIDED WITH A VALVE WHICH SEATS AGAINST A PRIMARY RESILIENT SEALING MEMBER INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE VALVE AND THE INNER SURFACE OF THE END WALL MEMBER.   THE OPERATING MEMBER HAS A PAIR OF DEPENDING LOCKING POSTS WHICH NORMALLY ENGAGE THE TOP SURFACE OF THE OUTER RIM OF THE END WALL MEMBER TO PREVENT ACTUATION OF THE VALVE. THE OPERATING MEMBER IS ROTATABLE TO BRING THE LOCKING POSTS INTO REGISTRY WITH CORRESPONDING RECESSES IN THE OUTER RIM TO PERMIT DEPRESSION OF THE OPERATING MEMBER AGAINST THE RESILIENT RESISTANCE OF THE AUXILIARY SEALING MEMBER AND THEREBY UNSEAT THE VALVE TO EFFECT DISPENSING OF THE AEROSOL CONTENTS AROUND THE SHANK AND THROUGH A DISCHARGE OENING IN THE OPERATING MEMBER.

Sept. 21, 1.971 J. M. RAIT 3,606,966

AEROSOL DISPENSER Filed June 6, 1969 INVENTOR. JOSEPH M. RAIT A TTORNEYS3,606,966 Patented Sept. 21, 1971 3,606,966 AEROSOL DISPENSER Joseph M.Rait, Bulfalo, N.Y., assignor to Pelorex Corp., Buffalo, N.Y. Filed June6, 1969, Ser. No. 831,115 Int. Cl. B65d 83/06 US. Cl. 222402.11 7 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dispenser for aerosol containers comprisinga container end wall member having a bore therethrough and a pair ofupstanding annular radially spaced rims at the outer surface of the endwall member concentric with the bore. An auxiliary resilient sealingmember is disposed in the annular groove between the rims. A shankextends through the bore and is provided with an operating member at itsouter end having an annular portion in sealing contact with the sealingmember. The inner end of the shank is provided with a valve which seatsagainst a primary resilient sealing member interposed between the valveand the inner surface of the end wall member. The operating member has apair of depending locking posts which normally engage the top surface ofthe outer rim of the end wall member to prevent actuation of the valve.The operating member is rotatable to bring the locking posts intoregistry with corresponding recesses in the outer rim to permitdepression of the operating member against the resilient resistance ofthe auxiliary sealing member and thereby unseat the valve to effectdispensing of the aerosol contents around the shank and through adischarge opening in the operating member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to dispensing closureconstructions for containers and, more particularly, to closures forpressurized dispensing containers of the aerosol type.

In aerosol dispensing containers of a known type, the container isprovided with a top end wall member having a bore therein and a closureand operating member generally comprising an elongated shank which isslidably journaled or tiltable in the bore of the top end member and hasat its inner end an enlargement which forms a valve and seats against aninwardly facing valve seat which is a part of or disposed against theinner face of the aforesaid top end wall member of the container.

In some types of closures this operating member further includes anenlargement at its outer end in the form of an annular flange whichextends radially outwardly and axially inwardly toward the container topend wall member to bear against the outer surface of the end wall mem-'her at its marginal portion. The operating member is formed of asynthetic resin or other material having physical properties such thatthe annular flange portion is resilient and serves as a return spring byreason of its resilience for urging the operating member outwardly to anormal sealing position.

In other types of closures of this class the operating member is aninverted cup-shaped member which fits over a projection at the top ofthe container, in which case a spring is usually employed for normallyholding the operating member in an outward valve-closing position.

In prior art dispensers of this general type wherein the material passesaround or through a shank which has a valve at its inner end duringdispensing, vexatious problem exists by reason of possible leakage ofthe maerial laterally between the container proper and the operatingmember at the outer end of the shank particularly during dispensingoperations wherein the valve is unseated and the primary seal istherefore ineffective. This problem is particularly troublesome withrelatively free flowing materials. Also, the dispensing closures ofthese prior art structures are generally exposed and susceptible toaccidental, negligent or inadvertant depression whereby the contents areunintentionaly dispensed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The dispensing closure of the presentinvention, as hereinafter described, obviates the above deficiencies byproviding an improved dispensing closure, which is simple and strong inconstruction, low in cost, durable and rugged in use, leakproof, andwhich includes safety lock means for preventing accidental orunintentional dispensing of pressurized contents from within thecontainer.

Generally speaking, the dispensing closure of the present inventioncomprises a container including a top end wall member with a centralbore therein and a pair of radially spaced, upstanding, annular rimsintegral with the outer surface of such top end wall member andconcentric with the bore therein. An auxiliary resilient sealing gasketis disposed in the groove between the annular rims of such top end wallmember.

A shank extends generally axially through the central bore of the topend wall member and has an enlargement at its inner end which forms avalve and seats against a primary resilient sealing gasket interposedbetween the valve and the inner surface of the top end wall member. Theouter end of the shank is secured to an operating member which has aportion engaging the auxiliary sealing gasket to provide a fluid tightseal between the operating member and the top end wall member. Thisauxiliary resilient sealing gasket also serves to urge the operatingmember outwardly to a valve closing position when manual pressure isrelased from the operating member. A pair of locking posts depend fromthe upper portion of the operating member and engage the outer rim toprevent actuation of the valve and inadvertent d scharge of thecontainer contents. The operating member must be ro a ed to a dispensingposition wherein the posts are aligned with corresponding recessesprovided in the outer rim to permit depression of the operating memberand axial inward movement of the shank to unseat the valve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a vertical cross sectionalview taken centrally through one form of a container and dispensingclosure combination constructed in accordance with the presentinvention. illustrating the operating member in a position whereindispensing operation is prevented;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing both the body and theclosure in rotated positions wherein the dispensing closure may beoperated;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 inFIG. 1 looking upwardly in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken on the line 44 in FIG.1 looking downwardly in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 5 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken on the line 55 in FIG.2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS For the general purposes of thedisclosure of the principles of the present invention, it may be assumedthat the container of the embodiment illustrated herein is generallycylindrical although it is to be understood that the closures anddispensing mechanisms which form the subject matter of the invention maybe applied with equal effect to containers of other shapes and forms. InFIG. 1, the numeral 15 designates a tubular or hollow cylindricalcontainer body having an integral bottom end wall 16 and a top end wallmember 17 which, in the present instance, has an annular marginal groove18 in its underside which fits over the upper end of body 15.

The top end wall 17 may be permanently secured to body by the use of anadhesive, by heat sealing the same, or in any other desired manner. Inthe alternative, the top end Wall 17 may be integral with thecylindrical body 15 and the bottom end wall 16 may be a separate closuremember, in which case the valve member and the contents will beintroduced to the container through the bottom prior to the applicationof the bottom wall. The terms top, bottom, upper, lower, upwardly,downwardly, and the like, as used herein, are applied only forconvenience of description with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and shouldnot be taken as limiting the scope of the invention.

The top surface of the top end wall 17 is provided with a pair of spacedannular walls or rims 19 and 20 defining an annular groove 21therebetween. A sealing member in the form of an annular resilientsealing gasket 22 is received in groove 21 and provides a seal for theoperating member as will hereinafter become apparent. Wall 17 also isprovided with a central bore 23.

The principal operating component of the container closure anddispensing means is designated generally 24 and comprises an axiallyextending shank 25 loosely extending through and rotatably journaled inthe central bore 23 of top end wall 17. The shank 25 has a generallydiscoidal valve enlargement 26 at its inner end and a manual operatingmember 27 attached to its outer end. A sealing member in the form of anannular resilient swling gasket 28 formed of rubber or any othersuitably resiliently yieldable elastomeric material, such as neoprenefor example, is interposed between valve 26 and the interior surface oftop end wall 17.

The upper or outer end of shank 25 has a reduced diameter portion 29provided with a head formation 30 and in the present instance thecentral opening in the operating member 27 is stepped, as shown in FIGS.1 and 2, so that assembly of shank 25 with respect to the operatingmember 27 may be effected by inserting the upper or outer end of shank'25 through the opening in operating member 27 and the resilience of thelatter will cause the head formation 30 to snap into assembled position.This assembly will be effected after shank '25 has been assembledupwardly through the opening in top end wall member 17.

Operating member 27 comprises an outer 'wall portion 32 having a beveledtop surface 33 and a downwardly extending skirt portion 34 looselyencircling outer annular rim 19 and spaced from the upper or exteriorsurface of top end wall member 17 A perforation 35 is provided in bodyportion 32 and terminates in outwardly flaring conical passage 36therein forming the dispensing outlet port of the device.

Depending downwardly from body portion 32 and spaced radially inwardlyof skirt portion 34 is an annular wall 38 adapted to seat on resilientsealing gasket 22. A significant feature of this invention is theprovision of resilient sealing gasket 22 which serves to seal againstfluid leakage between operating member 27 and top end wall member 17 andalso to urge the operating member resiliently to valve-closing position.

Downward pressure exerted on operating member 27 acts against gasket 22to further enhance pressure seallng about top end wall member 17 duringthe discharge of the container contents through passage 36. Also,resilient gasket 22 serves as a restoring means for operating member 27by exerting a force on operating member 27 when the downward pressure isreleased thereon to urge and restore operating member 27 to its normalclosed position illustrated in FIG. 1 thus eliminating the necessity fora separate return spring such as is usually required in closures of thisgeneral type.

Another important feature of the present invention is the provision ofsafety lock means to preclude accidental or inadvertent valve actuationand the resulting release of the pressurized contents of the containerbody 15. Such means includes a pair of diametrically opposed projectionsin the form of locking posts 40 extending downwardly from wall portion32 of member 27 between skirt portion 34 and wall 38. The lower ends ofposts 40 engage the upper surface of outer annular rim 19 in thenormally closed position of valve 26 illustrated in FIG. 1 wherein thevalve is securely seated and the contents of the container are sealedagainst egress. In this position, downward pressure exerted on operatingmember 27 will not depress the same because of the abutment of posts 40with the upper surface of annular rim 19. Rotational movement ofoperating member in the counterclockwise direction as viewed from aboveis limited by stops 41 (FIGS. 4 and 5) projecting upwardly from rim 19and in the opposite direction by stops 42.

When it is desired to release the pressurized contents, the operatingmember 27 is manually rotated relative to the top end wall member 17 ina clockwise direction until posts 40 abut stops 42 and are in registrywith a pair of diametrically opposed recesses or openings 43 in rim 19.Then downward manual pressure applied anywhere about the top ofoperating member 27 will allow inward movement thereof because posts 40are free to move axially into recesses 43. Shank 25 then moves axiallyinwardly to unseat valve 26 or, in alternative designs, may move to aslightly inclined position to tilt valve 2.6 from a seated position.Material under pressure within the container will thus move over theupper side of the displaced or tilted valve through the bore 23 in topend wall member 17 about shank 2-5, and outwardly through perforation 35and outlet passage 36.

If a more pronounced and positive tilting action of shank .25 isdesired, the central bore 23 in top end Wall member 17 may be of anhour-glass form. As soon as pressure is removed from operating member27, the natural resiliency of gasket 22 acts against wall 38 and therebyurges operating member 27 upwardly to cause the same to move shank 25upwardly and elfect secure seating of valve 26. Operating member 27 maythen be rotated until posts 40 abut stops 41 to preclude accidentalactuation of valve 26.

The sealing projection 38 and locking posts 40 are formed integral withthe operating member 27 and may be molded of synthetic or other plasticmaterials. The manual operating member may take various outsidedimensions and shapes or configurations within the purview of thisinvention. Although two diametrically opposed locking posts andcorresponding slots are conveniently employed for most purposes, it willbe understood that any necessary or desired number may be used and thatthey may be arranged in any suitable pattern and formed in any suitableshape.

The present invention thus provides a simple sealing arrangement for anaerosol dispenser having a second resilient gasket on the side of thetop end wall member opposite the valve member for precluding fluidleakage between the top end wall member and the operating member. Also,the resilient gasket serves as a restoring means for urging the manualoperating member into valve closing position when pressure is releasedtherefrom. By the provision of locking posts, accidental or inadvertentactuation of the valve and unintentional dispensing of the pressuredcontents from the container is prevented.

A conventional dip tube will usually be provided to insure dispensing ofcontents from the lower portion of the container. Such a dip tube isillustrated at 50 in FIG. 1 only.

A preferred embodiment of this invention has been described andillustrated herein but it is to be understood that numerousmodifications may be made without departing from the broad spirit andscope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A dispensing closure structure for pressurized containers comprising:a container having an end wall member provided with a bore; a pair ofspaced concentric annular rims extending outwardly from the outersurface of said end wall member about said bore and defining a groovetherebetween; a resilient sealing member disposed in said groove andcontacting said outer surface of said end wall member; a shank looselyslidable in said bore and having an operating means at its outer endprovided with a discharge passage; said operating means having aninwardly directed annular wall portion engageable against said resilientsealing member; valve means at the inner end of said shank movableoutwardly against the inner surface of said end wall member for valvingengagement therewith; said resilient sealing member normally biasingsaid operating means outwardly to maintain said valve closed to seal thepressurized contents of the container.

2. A dispensing closure structure according to claim. 1 including aresilient annular seal between said valve means and said inner surfaceof said end wall member.

3. A dispensing closure structure according to claim 1 wherein saidoperating means has at least one projection normally engageable with theupper edge of the outer one of said rims whereby axial inward movementof said shank is normally prevented and wherein said outer rim isprovided with a recess and said operating means is rotatable to bringsaid projection into registry with said recess to permit depressionthereof and axial inward movement of said shank to unseat said valve anddispense material from said container.

4. A dispensing closure structure according to claim 3 wherein saidouter rim has a plurality of recesses and said operating means has aplurality of corresponding projections.

5. A dispensing closure structure according to claim 3 including stopmeans on said outer rim for limiting rotational movement of saidoperating means in both directions.

6. A dispensing closure structure according to claim 1 wherein saidoperating means has a skirt portion extending loosely about the outerone of said rims.

7. A dispensing closure structure according to claim 3 wherein saidoperating means has a skirt portion extending loosely about the outerone of said rims.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,6 1 0,940 9/ 195 2 Endicott222402.24X 2,835,418 5/1958 Manetti 222402.24 3,146,916 9/ 1964 Kronheim222=402.24X 3,426,948 2/ 1969 Stirling 222402. 11 3,484,023 12/ 1969Meshberg 222-402.l1

r SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner N. L. STACK, JR., AssistantExaminer US. Cl. X.R.

